Frankfurt (AFP)
The German court Monday opened the way for a lawsuit against four former football executives as part of an investigation into suspected corruption at the 2006 World Cup in the country.
The German organizing committee of this competition is suspected of having at the time used a slush fund to buy votes to ensure the award of the prestigious World Cup in Germany.
The Swiss courts, where the International Federation (FIFA) is based, have for several years been responsible for investigating the suspicion of bribery, while the German courts are examining the tax aspect of the case.
It is in the last file that the Frankfurt court validated Monday the impeachment of the four former football officials, three Germans and a Swiss, requested by the prosecution, and thus paved the way for a future trial.
He believes there is "enough suspicion" to consider a conviction for tax fraud, according to a statement.
The three Germans are two former presidents of the German Football Association, Wolfgang Niersbach and Theo Zwanziger, as well as a former secretary general, Horst Schmidt. The Swiss co-suspect is a former Secretary General of Fifa, Urs Linsi.
These people must also prepare for a trial for "swindle", this time in Switzerland, where the prosecutor has completed early July his investigation by retaining this leader.
Could also be added to this list the legend of German football Franz Beckenbauer, who presided at the time the organizing committee of the World Cup 2006. His case was immediately disjointed because of the deterioration of his health.
The question of possible corruption around the 2006 World Cup has been at the center of this affair since in 2015, the investigative weekly Der Spiegel claimed that Germany had used a secret fund of 10 million Swiss Francs ( 6.7 M EUR at the time) to buy votes, including those from Qatar, and get the organization of this competition to the detriment of South Africa.
Beckenbauer is suspected of having asked the former boss of Adidas, the late Robert Louis-Dreyfus, to fund this fund shortly before the summer of 2000, when the award was the Mondial.
He would have been reimbursed by the German Football Association on the pretext of costs related to a gala evening of Fifa, which in fact never took place.
It is on the tax conditions of this payment of 6.7 million euros from the German Federation to Fifa that will be the trial for fraud now called to open.
All suspects in this case deny the charges en bloc.
© 2019 AFP